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Peter White, Rick Braun & Mindi Abair
– Peter White Christmas
Higashi Concert Series Finale
By Paul Scott
Most of my colleagues who know me
well, know that I like to work ahead.
I’ve always believed that if you can stay
a week ahead in planning, implementing
and scheduling your work, it’s a wonderful
stress reliever and always leaves you
that security ‘bumper’ to take care of the
rest of the unplanned emergencies and
“extras” that always seem to come along
and fill up that extra time.
Well, here I go breaking my own rule. It’s
24 hours ‘till deadline for this edition, and
I’m busily writing my article. But with
good reason!
The onslaught of new Smooth Jazz
Holiday albums is coming across my desk
to review!
Yes, the holiday season is literally just
around the corner, and I thought I’d
review a “must have” album for your
collection – Peter White Christmas with
Peter White (guitar), Rick Braun (trumpet
& vocals) and Mindi Abair (sax & vocals).
Year after year, Peter, Rick & Mindi tour
the country together putting on one of the
most spectacular holiday shows, playing
to sold-out audiences everywhere, and
now they have finally put all their holiday
favorites on a Peter White Christmas for us
to take home!
There are traditional standards arranged
by each particular artist with their own
unique twists, as well as originals included
on this twelve-song CD. Most listeners are
also pleasantly surprised to hear that Rick
& Mindi have wonderful singing voices and
are featured in a number of songs.
The album opens up with a beautiful
arrangement of their live opener “Little
Drummer Boy.” Rick Braun begins with
an exquisite opening on trumpet, then
hands it over to Peter White on guitar as
each verse continues to soar and increase
in a jazzy tempo until Mindi Abair takes
over with a sax solo that just brings it
back home to the opening arrangement,
sprinkled with other holiday song themes
until its end. This sound literally sets the
tone for this holiday album of favorites
by these wonderfully talented artists,
plus surprisingly wonderful vocals from
Mindi Abair & Rick Braun too! Mindi’s
vocals are again featured on the next
number, a swingin’, bluesy original “I
Can’t Wait for Chistmas.” Then, Peter
White puts his salsa style of playing to his
unique arrangement of “Greensleeves”
followed by Rick singing “Have Yourself
A Merry Little Christmas” with a jazzy
twist of Peter’s beautiful acoustic guitar
accompanying. Followed by a beautifully
sung version of Joni Mitchells’ “River”
by Mindi, Rick joins her on trumpet for
his original “Jingle Jangle Blues.” One of
the highlights of a Peter White Christmas
Richard Friedman, ChFC, CLU
Wharton Certificate in Retirement Planning
1755 Oregon Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
Tel. (717) 569-6899
Fax (717) 569-0972
richard.friedman@axa-advisors.com
www.richard.friedman.myaxa-advisors.com
www.AXAonline.com
AXA Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC),1290 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10104 GE-37482(a) (11/06)
is the gorgeous arrangement of “Silent
Night” by Peter White, with special guest
vocalist Jeffrey Osbourne. Mindi then
features another beautiful vocal original
entitled “The Best Part of Christmas.”
When listening to this holiday number, it
just takes you way. Just close your eyes,
and you can imagine you’re sitting beside
a roaring fire while snow gently falls just
outside the window. The rest of the
holiday album wraps up with beautiful
traditionals including “Happy Christmas,”
“O Holy Night,” and “White Christmas.”
This holiday album is a “must have”
for your collection and brings their live
Christmas show right into your living
room. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful
collection of arrangements of holiday
classics and look forward to playing it over
and over in our house for the holidays!
“The Little Drummer Boy,” “The
Christmas Song,” “I Can’t Wait for
Christmas,” “Greensleeves” (What
Child Is This?), “Have Yourself A Merry
Little Christmas,” “River,” “Jingle Jangle
Blues,” “Silent Night,” “The Best Part
Of Christmas,” “Santa Claus Is Coming
To Town/Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,”
“Happy Christmas/O Holy Night,”
“White Christmas.”
If you want a chance to catch the Peter
White Christmas show live, they’ll be
performing the final concert in the Higashi
Pearls & Fine Jewelry “Jazz in the City”
show at the Sunoco Performance Theater
at Whitaker Center, Thursday, November
29th at 7:30pm. For tickets, go to www.
whitakercenter.org or to charge by phone,
call (717) 214-ARTS. FLL
Paul Scott is the Program & Music Director
of Smooth Jazz 92.7 and hosts the morning
show weekdays from 6-10am. Paul is also an
avid musician (piano & voice) and also teaches
privately. To contact Paul, simply email him at
pscott@hallradio.com
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